Epilogue

Harry's eyes shifted from one place to another, wishing to take it all in at once. The rush of the crowds, the large red steam engine train…it was exciting and new. Older students were loudly greeting their friends and new students trying to get away from crying parents. There were the sounds of owls hooting and cats purring as their owners struggle to carry their stuff onto the train.

"Isn't this exciting?" Hermione exclaimed from beside him as she glanced around Platform 9 ¾ with glittering eyes.

Harry nodded, his eyes still flickering around the station. "We're finally here." They had been waiting for this moment since they were told about Hogwarts. It didn't seem like the day would ever come. "Think of all the new things we will learn!"

"I can't wait to get back to the library!" Hermione exclaimed as she rebalanced her school trunk on the pulley.

"There you two are!" The two eleven year olds glanced guiltily back at Remus. The werewolf eyes were narrowed with displeasure and his arms were firmly folded across his chest. Harry shifted his feet uncomfortably at the look on his guardians face. "You gave us all a fright." He turned his attention to Hermione. "Especially your parents, young lady. It seems someone forgot to mention to them that running into the wall was the way onto the platform."

Hermione winced. "Oops," she muttered, her face turning red with shame.

"But even that could have been avoided if you two did not go running off as soon as you said your goodbyes to the Grangers," Remus continued. "I did not give you permission to rush off. You must wait for us to give you the go next time or you both will be grounded for a week."

A black haired man came up from behind Remus and placed a hand on his shoulders. He smiled wildly at the children. "Oh, come off them, Moony! They were just excited. Who wouldn't be?"

Remus gave the man a glare. "That does not excuse them for running off without any warning or permission, Sirius Black."

The glare and the stern tone didn't seem to frazzle Sirius. He chuckled as if Remus said something funny and waved an unconcern hand in the air. "They would have been just fine, Moony. What could possibly have happen? There is nowhere else to go but the train. They would have been perfectly safe," he tried to reassure.

Remus stared at him for a moment before drily saying, "This is why I'm the guardian and you're the fun, go-to uncle."

Sirius chuckled again and nodded. "Yep, and proud of it," he said with a huge grin on his face. He turned to the waiting children and knelt down to their level. "Now, you two, don't do anything I wouldn't do."

Remus rolled his eyes. "Please, do not do anything he would do," he murmured quietly in protest.

The children giggled. Sirius had been with them several months now. They had gotten use to having him around and quickly grew amused at the friendly banter between the two adults. Sirius seemed to have realized this and would try extra hard to rub Remus the wrong way, just to get a chuckle out of them. It did not amuse Remus at all, but even he had to admit that his heart would lighten with the sound of the children's laughter and Harry's bright green eyes sparkling with amusement.

He watched as Sirius gave the girl a brief hug. "Have fun, Hermione, and…" He gave her a look. "…don't bury your head in books like Remus did in school."

Hermione huffed at him. "I happen to really like books, Padfoot," she said with a defensive glare. Remus hid his amused smile behind his hand.

Sirius suddenly clenched his chest as if he was stabbed and groaned in mock pain. "Ah! That hurts." He turned to his amused godson. "You are my last chance, Harry. Don't listen to Remus and Hermione! Don't bury yourself in books!"

Harry chuckled. "Come on, Padfoot. 'Mione and Remus isn't the only one who likes books. I happen to like books too."

Sirius blinked and gave him a wounded look. "Are you trying to kill me?" he asked in a mock hurt tone. He looked up at Remus. "You have corrupted Prong's little boy to your bookish ways!"

Remus shook his head and held back the grin. "Yes. Lily would be so proud."

Sirius opened his mouth to disagree, but quickly shut it again and reluctantly nodded. "Yes, she would have," he said in a wistful tone. He could imagine what they would have said if they were here. James would have been trying to secretly encourage Harry to pull pranks, while outwardly siding with Lily with Harry's studies. Lily would have caught on, though, being the smart witch that she was. Their banter would have sent all of them in a fit of laughter they couldn't quite hold in. He shook them from his thoughts and smiled back at Harry. "Still, Harry, make sure you enjoy yourself. School is about having fun as well as learning."

Harry nodded. "Of course, Padfoot."

Remus turned from them and faced Hermione. He laid a hand on her shoulder and waited for her to turn her attention to him. "Good luck, Hermione. You'll do fine. Don't push yourself too hard. You aren't as far behind as you may think you are. Don't try to cram everything in at once. Pace yourself," he advised.

Hermione smiled gratefully at him. "I'll try, Remus. Thanks."

Remus patted her shoulder. "I'll see you at Christmas. Don't forget to write to your parents."

"I won't," she promised.

"I know you won't." He finally turned to Harry, who was waiting patiently for his turn to say goodbye. He saw Harry standing there and opened his arms to him. Harry quickly rushed into them. His grip around Remus was tight, but the werewolf didn't mind. He ran a hand through Harry's messy black hair and kissed the top of his head.

"I don't want to go anymore, Remus," Harry murmured into his chest fearfully. "Can't you teach me at home?"

His heart breaking at Harry's fearful plea, he pulled back and knelt down to Harry's level. He gently raised Harry's head until they were looking at each other in the eye. "How would that be fair to Hermione?" he asked softly.

Harry blinked back his tears. His green eyes were glittering with them. "She could be homeschooled as well. Can't you teach both of us?"

Remus shook his head. "That wouldn't be fair to her either, Harry. You both have been looking forward to this for months. You will have a wonderful time at Hogwarts."

"I was, but now…" He shook his head. "I don't think I could do this. I thought I could, but I can't. Please, Remus, can't you teach us?" he continued to plea.

"What's wrong, Harry? Tell me," Remus asked.

Harry let out a shaky breath and looked back to the ground. Remus waited patiently for him to be ready to speak. Harry shook his head. "What if something happens?" he asked in a low whisper. If it wasn't for his werewolf hearing, Remus wouldn't have been able to catch it. He peeked meekly from under his long bangs. "I never been gone so long before. I'm scared," he admitted.

Remus lay a hand on Harry's warm cheek. "I'm not going to be far, Harry. You have your Aunty M there and Aunty Pop and Grandpa Al. If you need something, go to them. If you still need me, have one of them contact me. I could be there in seconds." He should have anticipated this problem. Living at the Dursley's had scarred Harry for life. The boy clung to Remus when he was younger. He barely let Remus go to work without him. Remus was his savior, his protector. He knew at all times where Remus was at and an estimation of when he would return. Since rescuing him from the Dursleys, they had never been apart for more than three days. Harry was having separation issues. Remus used his touch to try and calm Harry. Touch had always been the best way at calming him. He rested a hand on Harry's check, rubbing his thumb on his skin and the other hand was holding Harry's hand. He looked into his eyes. "Everything is going to be alright, Harry. Understand?"

Harry nodded. His body was no longer tense as he rubbed away the tears from his eyes. "I'm sorry."

Remus smiled at him gently. "Don't be, Harry. I understand your fear, but everything will be fine. You'll see. You'll meet many new friends. You'll have fun."

Harry reached over and wrapped his arms around Remus' neck. He buried his head into his shoulders. "I'll miss you, Remus," his voice came out muffled by the Remus' neck, but he was still able to understand him.

Remus tightly hugged the boy back. "I'll miss you too, Harry. You owl me every week and try to stay out of trouble."

Harry lifted up his head and nodded. "I will."

The train blew the five minute horn and students started to quickly head for the train. Remus and Sirius helped the children lift their trunks onto the train before saying their last goodbyes. They stood back and waved as the train started to move. Harry and Hermione were waving back from their window until they were completely out of sight.

Remus sighed and turned to Sirius as parents and their families started to leave, chatting to each other about their children. "What are you planning to do with yourself now?" he asked. Sirius was still living at his cabin and had been watching Harry as Remus headed off to his new job at the local bookstore. Now that Harry was gone, there wasn't much Sirius could do during the day.

Sirius frowned, his haunted eyes narrowing with anger. "Pettigrew is still out there and I tend to find him. With Harry safely at Hogwarts, I feel like I could do what I set out to do in the first place. He can't get away with it, Remus."

Remus shook his head. "He won't, Sirius. Everyone now knows what he did. He can't hide forever. He will make a mistake and pop up. Don't do anything foolish. You'll just have to be patient. Get a job, keep an eye and ear out."

Sirius sighed and nodded. "I'm not good with patience. You know that, but I guess I have been waiting this long. It's only a matter of time. I'll get a job in Diagon Alley or at the Leaky Cauldron. I'm sure to hear something while working there."

Remus nodded in agreement. "There you go. Come." He started walking away and called out over his shoulders. "Let's go home." They were the only ones still on the platform and his voice echoed around eerily.

Sirius crocked his head to the side as he listen to his friend's voice echo around them and chuckled. "Freaky," he said, his mood shifting quickly from anger to mischievous. "Never thought this platform could be so creepy once everyone left. Ooooo!" He paused and listened to the echo. He chuckled again, his chuckle began echoing around. "That is just so cool!" He shouted the word 'cool' and listened to the echo.

Remus rolled his eyes and grabbed Sirius' arm. "Come on, you big child."

Sirius stumbled back, but quickly caught his footing. "Hey! I was having fun!"

Remus just shook his head and pulled Sirius off of Platform 9 ¾. Soon they were gone, leaving behind the empty platform.

The End...it's over...I wasn't satisfied at the ratings for this story, but that was no excuse not to continue it and finishing it...Hope you all liked it!

Thank you to Femalefarrie, MuggleCreator, Epsilon Scorpii, and wandamarie for reviewing the last chapter! I appreciate it a lot! It was what helped me finally finish the story!